[mobike008]

Prologue

Whoever lives in Washington, they dream of going to Leavenworth during Christmas time as it’s touted as the “Most X’massy Town in Entire USA” as this beautiful little Bavarian (German) town is nestled between mountains and is just 100 miles away from Seattle making it a great day or overnight trip for folks living in Washington.

We have visited this place a couple of times during our stay here in 2014/2015 and also once earlier during a Team BHP meet that I organized earlier this year but, never during the christmas time and winters.

Here is the link to that Team BHP Drive Meet in February, 2022.:

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/team-...ml#post5255408 (Team-BHP Meets @ Seattle, Washington)

You can compare pictures from then to now and see the stark difference in the landscape due to snow.

The reason I say, it’s a dream to visit Leavenworth during Christmas timeframe is because the route to this town is absolutely treacherous during winters/snow and can be accessed via. US-2 (Backroads through Mountain Passes- Steven’s Pass which is notorious for drastic weather changes) or, the I-90 East which is a broad freeway but, due to snow is equally dangerous as traffic pile-ups, major accidents with 15-30 car pile-ups are pretty common during the winters.

I was in double minds if we should take the risk as my BMW’s tires are still stock and was not sure how they will hold up as tires are the most important component of a car in these weather conditions.

But, I told myself, to heck with it. Let’s take the risk and take a precautionary style of driving and decided to make this trip.

We booked our hotel 18 miles further East in a big town called- Wenatcheee as all hotels in Downtown Leavenworth is either booked many months ago or had tariffs ranging from $500 to $1600 per night as this is the season they make a killing in tariffs.

We (Including our Friend’s Family) rooms booked for $150/night/room and it was just a 20 mins drive away so we were all set.

Day 1 (December 18th, 2022)

Leavenworth town is as German as it can be-Right from building architecture, names, beers, food and even the folks living here in this town wear German attire which makes the overall experience as if being in Germany.

During the winter season, the German’ ness is more profound due to the crazy amount of snow they get and everything in Leavenworth is “White”, literally white.

They are famous for their Christmas lighting which starts right from Thanksgiving until New Year’s and it’s always good to plan an overnight trip anytime during this timeframe.

As it would have it, there was predictions of light snowfall for the weekend we were supposed to be there. But, what we found in reality is a different story and you will see from the pictures in this travelogue. Haha !!

Our plan was to head out at 9:00am and pick up my friend (he lives 200 meters away in same community) and his family and get on our way. We gassed up at a Costco that newly opened near our home a few weeks ago and I was pleasantly surprised to see the gas prices are slowly but, steadily coming down. I tanked up at $3.80/gallon for the premium stuff.

I decided to take the US-2 and Steven’s Mountain Pass as that seemed safer than the freeway with black ice/sleet all over the lanes.

As soon as we got to the beginning of the US-2 route, the scenery changed completely and I was awe-struck with the amount of snow that we witnessed.

As we climbed the pass, there was a section of nearly 20 miles which was completely engulfed in dense fog and there was zero visibility (as you can see in the video- iPhone videos brighten up the videos and they are unedited and in reality can’t see anything ahead) and it was a scary but, exciting experience. I thought this was scary but, I didn’t know what was in store of us on our return (more on it in return trip post)

We took our first pit-stop and enjoyed some home made egg sandwiches and had fun in the snow. Then we continued our drive and stopped at another gorgeous location somewhere just before Leavenworth.

We finally entered Leavenworth around 1:00pm and there was a massive line of traffic entering the town. There was absolutely no parking anywhere in downtown so we drove 1.5 miles outside and parked the Bimmer in a SAFEWAY parking lot.

We had to walk 1.5 miles to the downtown and it was a crazy experience.

All of us almost fell on ice covered side roads at least 5-6 times (Yup, each of us at least 5-6 times). Even though we walked gingerly ahead with head down, we still almost fell. Scary experience.

Around 3:00pm, we reached the downtown and spent the whole evening (it gets pitch dark at 4:00pm) until (9:30pm) in the downtown enjoying the vibrant atmosphere. As you can see from the pictures, it was simply a wonderful experience of being in that town at this time of the year.

Enjoyed some great food and drinks (even Hot Cocoas were awesome in this weather) in that terribly cold weather. It was first time in Seattle since we moved here a year and half back, that I felt cold. I love cold weather and don’t feel like wearing a jacket until 2-3 Degree Centigrade and a light jacket works just fine until -2 or -3C which is normal weather during winters.

But, It was ridiculous -10 Centigrade in Leavenworth and it was horribly cold. If I remove my hands from the gloves even for 60 seconds, it felt like I would get frost bite.

As long as you are properly dressed (Gloves, Ear Muff/Scarves, Warm Jackets and a Good Shoe), it’s an absolute joy and this weather can be enjoyed. And, that’s what we did- We prepared in advance for this weather and had dressed appropriately.

I will keep the dialogue limited and will let you enjoy the pictures. This post has pictures of our Day 1 of drive to Leavenworth and our afternoon/evening in Leavenworth.

First Pitstop on Stevens Mountain Pass- Gorgeous location with full of snow all around

https://youtube.com/watch?v=3q89uPj1QCw

2nd Pit Stop- Nice location with river half frozen.

https://youtu.be/rmykFGE2BJk

Off we go



Entering US-2, Stevens Pass- The scenery changes for the better from here on. A few pictures of this gorgeous mountain road









First Pit-Stop- We just randomly stopped to stretch our legs and enjoy the snow around.



My first meal of day is usually afternoon- An Egg Sandwich



Us





Blau Rakete



Entire route is breathtaking beautiful with mountains, trees and river flowing through (reminded me of Manali) and all of this covered in snow



It was 18F ( ~ - 9 degree centigrade)



Next Pitstop- A beautiful location with river flowing below and large iceless formed on water. Also rocks covered with snow. Surreal Sights





Just before entering Leavenworth- It was backed up for a couple of miles. Whew !!!



Finally entering the Bavarian Village.







We parked 1.5 miles away and walked back to downtown- Most excruciating 1.5 miles walk of our life. It was slippery and very dangerous all through.



Time is around 4:30pm as you can see on big clock. Leavenworth had a full-on holiday mood written all over it.





Entering into the Main Street and we spend the whole evening in this 1-mile stretch with everything happening here. Like we have a mall road in India. Haha!





Beautiful Lightings all around





Us- Under the Christmas Tree



Christmassy atmosphere everywhere around







Come to a German town and not have a pretzel. No way!

[mobike008]

Day 1 (December 18th, 2022)...Contd

A few more pictures enroute to Leavenworth, WA.





Enjoying the snow.





Leavenworth Downtown- All building architecture is German style



Hot Cocoa in Snowy weather. Bliss !!



Christmassy Vibes in Leavenworth









River frozen- This is in downtown Leavenworth at 9:00pm at night

[mobike008]

Day 2

It was pretty late when we reached hotel (all restaurants were choc-a-bloc and long waiting lines) so we decided to drive to Wenatchee and pick up food from Chipotle (Their Salad Bowls are awesome) and we checked in at 11:00pm and had a nice hot meal inside our rooms before hitting the bed at midnight.

We got ready and decided to check out at 9:30am (10:00am the breakfast would end) and went down to lobby and enjoyed a nice all American breakfast.

Our plan was to cover 2 attractions for the day.

1. Enjoy a 45-minutes Horse Sleigh Ride
2. Visit to Reindeer Farm

#1 was easy as they allow “walk-in” so we drove to this place which is close to the Leavenworth Downtown and found there was a lot of crowd already and seems to be a very popular attraction.

We paid the tickets ($24/PP) and after a short wait, we got into the Horse Sleigh and the next 45 minutes was an experience of a lifetime. The entire place was surrounded by mountains and there was 3-feet or more of snow around and lakes were frozen. There was even a helipad in that area which was covered with snow.

We ploughed through the snow and entire experience was surreal and no less than any fairytale as it was snowing heavily and our hands were shivering, teeth were chattering and it was quite cold but, the overall experience was elevated because of the continuous snowfall.

The entire experience was like being in the movies- Game of Thrones, Winter World, Frozen etc. haha!

After the ride, we spent an hour enjoying hot cocoa that was being served free in the tent and spent hanging out at the fire that was burning outside.

Here are some pictures of this surreal, beautiful and wonderful christmasy horse ride.

View from our hotel room in morning- Swimming Pool is frozen.



Cornerstone of American nutrition.



Hot Waffles



Hotel surrounded by Mountains



Drive to the Horse Sleigh Ride- 20 miles away and 3-miles from Leavenworth Downtown





Which is your favorite car?



Icicle Horse Sleigh Ride



Warming up before our ride starts



Some pictures and video of our 45-minutes ride through some inexplainable locales. Simply beautiful.

https://youtu.be/h8FPerlK0JU

https://youtube.com/watch?v=ICIG60fdyGk?feature=share

There is a helipad here as well.

























Isn't this out of the movies?





Free Hot Cocoa being served in the tents



It was -4C when we landed there. But, it was snowing throughout our ride and temp dropped to -12C within 2 hours we were there.

[mobike008]

Day 2..Cont'd

Here are some pictures of the visit to the Reindeer Farm in Leavenworth, WA

Reindeer Farm- Only one in North America including Alaska.





An interesting presentation of 20 mins- Got to know a lot about these species.



Group Picture.



Wifey enjoying a picture with the Santa.



Finally, heading into the pen gingerly. I was a bit scared as those antlers are super long.



Super fun time inside the reindeer pen. We spent about 30 mins inside feeding those big reindeers. It was a fun activity.

https://youtu.be/o4hjk6EPG1s

[mobike008]

Return Drive Back on Day 2

It was already 3:00pm and still it was snowing incessantly, we decided to head back home as I wanted to get back down as much as possible and avoid driving at night on the mountain pass.

If only wishes were horses, what we experienced next was something I never experienced in my life.

I have plenty of experience of driving in snow as I have done some long distance driving (Detroit to Boston which is 1800 miles round trip) at least 7-8 times in peak winters and have done many other trips in Mid-West, East Coast during peak winters. Technically, at a rough guess, I may have put in at-least 30,000 miles in last 5 years driving in extreme winter conditions.

However, I never experienced a snow blizzard as blizzards don’t happen often and when they do, it’s usually at an elevation (like in the mountains).

It was just 100 miles from Leavenworth to Home and I thought it’s going to be easy drive back home. We started around 3:30pm and slowly made our way out of Leavenworth Downtown back west towards home.

Heading back home passing the Leavenworth Downtown.



Next Few pictures of Leavenworth Downtown- It was a snowy world out there.



























A few pictures of the snow blizzard that we encountered. 50 miles of driving through pure WHITE conditions. It was a scary as well as thrilling experience.

https://youtu.be/42xAyhemHn0

https://youtu.be/J926_CTQNMo

Plenty of cars like this stranded on the road due to snowy conditions.



















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[mobike008]

Sign-Off with a big “Thank you” to my Blau Rakete

I would like to close this travelogue with a big thanks to my Blau Rakete. She has been relentlessly doling out pleasurable rides ever since she came into our lives (23-months ago).

When we were planning the trip, I was little worried as Blau Rakete is still on it’s stock RFT’s (Run-Flat Tires) which has done 23,000 miles (37,000 kms) and touchwood with zero punctures till date.

My worry was taking the Bimmer in this snowy conditions with limited tread depth (it’s currently at 4”inches in rear and 5” inches in front). I am waiting for it to hit 3” so I can change the tires. Hence, I was little worried how they will fare in these treacherous conditions.

I am happy to share that Blau Rakete performed flawlessly and during this entire drive (especially those crazy 50-miles of snow blizzard which actually prompted me to share this on the forum) there was not even a single slide or uncomfortable moment.

BMW’s traction control and AWD is really awesome and I am really happy and my love for BMW has grown even more after this surreal, wintery, extreme snowy conditions.

Thanks all for reading this travelogue and hope you enjoyed the virtual journey to a surreal and winter-land along with me.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=DVTGrHP1OZk

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Pseud]

Wow, amazing pics and wonderful to see Leavenworth. I had been to the place in Summer some two decades back and its unrecognizable from the pictures you have shown.

It really looks like a scene from Frozen. Glad it worked out despite the blizzard.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Pseud

Wow, amazing pics and wonderful to see Leavenworth. I had been to the place in Summer some two decades back and its unrecognizable from the pictures you have shown.

It really looks like a scene from Frozen. Glad it worked out despite the blizzard.

Thank you.

You are absolutely right that the landscape changes so drastically. If you look at the team bhp drive meet picutures that we did in Feb 2022, the landscape is so different.

This was also my first time in Winter and we were absolutely stunned.

I promised myself, this will now become a yearly ritual.

Spend the Christmas Weekend in the lap of snow in Leavenworth.

[aditya_rao]

You have lot of courage sir to drive during the blizzard with stock tires. I have the xdrive 30i and sometimes worry when there is lot of snow, even with winter tires. I have driven on snow with the stock RFTs but literally was at snails pace (20-30 mph at most on city roads)

Nice photos and hope you had a good time.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by aditya_rao

You have lot of courage sir to drive during the blizzard with stock tires. I have the xdrive 30i and sometimes worry when there is lot of snow, even with winter tires. I have driven on snow with the stock RFTs but literally was at snails pace (20-30 mph at most on city roads)

Thanks Aditya. Well, when it comes to road trips, courage comes automatically.

I love road trips and have done nearly 100,000 miles in my 3 cars here in US including the rentals that I do for my office work.

There was a time, we used to drive in our Mazda CX-9 from Detroit to Boston 3-4 times a year and have driven in crazy snow conditions.

But, never experienced a snow blizzard. Driving in snow, sleet is equally dangerous but, blizzard means, heavy snow and everything to your naked eye is pure white and you just don't know where you are driving.

This becomes dangerous to another level.

As mentioned in my post, I was worried about my stock RFT's but, I drove mostly in "EcoPro" so the car does not accelerate too much and "comfort" one and off.

Never used Sports and Sports + as that would have been a disaster in these road conditions.

I took my precautions and 23K miles done RFT performed flawlessly. Touchwood !!!

Nice to see another X3 Team BHP owner on forum from US. In Seattle, most of the Team BHP group are Bimmer owners (mostly B58 fellas) and everyone says it's not a TBHP group but, a Bimmer group.

Do you have an ownership thread on forum? Would love to check it out.

Originally Posted by aditya_rao

Nice photos and hope you had a good time.

Thanks. Glad you liked it. The blizzard incident prompted me to share the travelogue on the forum.

Have done too many road trips. Hopefully, will share one after another as and when I get some time. Cheers !

[Amrik Singh]

Gives us shivers !
Stunning pictures. I wonder how anyone can take out the hands from the warmth of the pockets to snap pictures. But, of course, the beauty of the nature overcomes all difficulties to capture the precious moments and you have shared those moments with us.
A big Thank You for the gift on New Year.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Amrik Singh

Gives us shivers. Stunning pictures.

Thank you Sir for your kind and wonderful comments. It made all the effort that I took to share here worth it.

You are familiar with US and must have travelled to quite a few places. I also love traveling and have been to many places in US but, Washington state just leaves me gaping and in awe during all seasons.

Obviously, more so during winters.

Originally Posted by Amrik Singh

I wonder how anyone can take out the hands from the warmth of the pockets to snap pictures. But, of course, the beauty of the nature overcomes all difficulties to capture the precious moments and you have shared those moments with us.

After living in cold places for 5 years, our body gets acclimatized.

I don't wear a jacket until almost 2C-3C and a light jacket until 0C.

There are times it's bearable until -4C. But, the main criteria is the wind chill. If it's windy, then even 3C becomes unbearable.

In Leavenworth, the temperatures were hovering between -8C to -14C at night.

As you rightly said, it was impossible to take the hand out of gloves and click a picture or take a video (especially during the horse sleigh ride that lasted for about 45 minutes). I would click a picture and then immediately tuck it back in glove.

Originally Posted by Amrik Singh

A big Thank You for the gift on New Year.

I'm so glad you liked it. And, wish you also a happy, safe and healthy New Year. !!!

[Amrik Singh]

Originally Posted by mobike008

Thank you Sir for your kind and wonderful comments. It made all the effort that I took to share here worth it.

You are familiar with US and must have travelled to quite a few places. I also love traveling and have been to many places in US

I have been to Seattle, but in Summer. Have my T/L on Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum here.

[mobike008]

Originally Posted by Amrik Singh

I have been to Seattle, but in Summer. Have my T/L on Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum here.

Yes. I remember you had shared and I viewed that TL as well.

Please message me when you are visiting again. Would love to meet up.